English
consonance
Consonance comes from Latin cōnsonāns ‘agreeing, fit, suitable’, from cōnsonō ‘to resound’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *swenh₂-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*swenh₂-‘to sound, resound’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*swonh₂éyetireconstructediterative present of *swenh₂-
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*swonaō‘to sound, resound’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsonō‘sound, resound’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcōnsonō‘to resound’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcōnsonānsas cōnsonantia‘agreeing, fit, suitable’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600consonance
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
- Englishearliest quotation 1865same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*swenh₂-‘to sound, resound’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*swonh₂éyetireconstructediterative present of *swenh₂-
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*swonaō‘to sound, resound’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsonō‘sound, resound’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcōnsonō‘to resound’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcōnsonānsas cōnsonantia‘agreeing, fit, suitable’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600consonance
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
- Englishearliest quotation 1865same form
Earliest quotation: 1865, John Tyndall, On Radiation: The "Rede" Lecture: “Like a musical string, the optic nerve responds to…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *swenh₂- ‘to sound, resound’
sound, swan, unison, sonnet, sone, 10 more
through Proto-Italic *swonaō ‘to sound, resound’
through Latin sonō ‘sound, resound’
re, personal, personnel, resonance, resonate, resonant, parson, resound, sonorous, 7 more
Today it means
noun A form of rhyme having the same consonants but different vowels.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *swenh₂- / consonance